Family Law Attorney in Clarksville

June 14, 2026

A family law attorney handles matters that reshape a family’s future, including divorce, child custody, support, alimony, and adoption, and engaging local counsel in Clarksville offers practical advantages over a remote or national service. A Clarksville attorney appears regularly before the Montgomery County Circuit, Chancery, and juvenile courts, knows the local judges and the practical workings of the docket, and can sit down with a client to review financial records, parenting schedules, and settlement terms in person. That familiarity with how cases actually proceed in the county where a matter will be decided often shapes both the strategy and the outcome.

Clarksville is among Tennessee’s largest cities, with a population of roughly 176,456 as of the 2024 American Community Survey (U.S. Census Bureau), and as the home of Fort Campbell and the 101st Airborne Division, it has a substantial military community whose family law needs, including deployments, relocations, and custody arrangements that cross state lines, give local firms particular experience with service-member cases. The market includes practices that concentrate on family law as well as firms that pair domestic relations work with military law, criminal defense, estate planning, or personal injury.

Attorneys in Tennessee are licensed and regulated by the Tennessee Supreme Court under its inherent authority over the practice of law. The Board of Law Examiners, part of the judicial branch, handles admission and administers the Tennessee Bar Examination under Supreme Court Rules 6, 7, and 21, while the Board of Professional Responsibility oversees attorney discipline under Supreme Court Rule 9. Family law is governed by Tennessee statute. Grounds for divorce, including the no-fault ground of irreconcilable differences and thirteen fault-based grounds, appear in Tennessee Code Annotated 36-4-101, and a divorce generally cannot be heard until a complaint has been on file for at least 60 days when the couple has no minor children, or 90 days when they have an unmarried child under 18. Child support and alimony fall under TCA 36-5-101, and Tennessee calculates child support using an Income Shares Model under the Tennessee Child Support Guidelines (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1240-02-04), a program administered by the Tennessee Department of Human Services.

Family lawyers in Clarksville typically handle divorce and legal separation, child custody and parenting plans, child support, alimony, division of property and business interests, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, paternity, adoption, and orders of protection, and many also handle military divorce and the custody and support questions that arise for service members. Before retaining counsel, a prospective client can verify a lawyer’s standing through the Board of Professional Responsibility, which maintains an Online Tennessee Attorney Directory at tbpr.org. That directory shows whether an attorney is active or suspended and reflects any public disciplinary history, while private reprimands remain confidential under Court Rule 9. Ethics or consumer complaints about an attorney are directed to the Board of Professional Responsibility rather than to the Division of Consumer Affairs, which handles most other businesses.

Top Family Law Attorney Providers in Clarksville

1. Casey, Simmons & Bryant, PLLC

Address: 318 Franklin Street, Clarksville, TN 37040
Phone: (931) 683-0070
Website: https://www.caseysimmonsandbryant.com
Services: divorce (contested and uncontested), high-asset divorce, child custody, child support, alimony, property division, paternity, parenting plan modifications, post-divorce modifications, enforcement of court orders, annulments, criminal defense
Description: Casey, Simmons & Bryant is a firm with a Clarksville office on Franklin Street, near the Montgomery County courts, and a second office in Jackson. Its partners are G. Michael Casey, Kortney D. Simmons, and Daniel P. Bryant, and the firm reports more than 40 years of combined experience. The practice handles contested and uncontested divorce, high-asset divorce, child custody and support, alimony, property division, paternity, parenting plan and post-divorce modifications, enforcement of court orders, and annulments, alongside criminal defense matters. The firm emphasizes personalized attention and serves clients throughout Tennessee.

2. Mathis, Bates & Klinghard PLLC

Address: 412 Franklin Street, Clarksville, TN 37040
Phone: 931-919-5060
Website: https://www.mbklegal.com
Services: divorce, child custody, child support, spousal support, adoption, guardianship, paternity, prenuptial agreements, domestic violence, property division, relocation, grandparents’ rights, military divorce, military custody and support
Description: Mathis, Bates & Klinghard, also known as MBK Legal, is a Clarksville firm on Franklin Street with a broad family law practice that includes a dedicated military law focus. Its partners are Jacob P. Mathis, Amy C. Bates, Katie B. Klinghard, and Jenna L. Foreman, supported by staff attorney D’Andre Bradley. The firm’s family law work spans divorce, child custody and support, spousal support, adoption, guardianship, paternity, prenuptial agreements, domestic violence matters, property division, relocation, and grandparents’ rights, and its military practice covers military divorce, custody, and support. The firm represents clients in Tennessee and Kentucky as well as service members, commits to responding to client communications within 24 hours, and offers evening and Saturday availability.

3. Runyon & Runyon Attorneys at Law

Address: 301 Main Street, Clarksville, TN 37040
Phone: (931) 805-4445
Website: https://www.runyonandrunyon.com
Services: divorce, child custody and support, property division, military divorce, high-net-worth divorce, business valuation, adoption
Description: Runyon & Runyon is a long-standing Clarksville firm established in 1929, located on Main Street near downtown. Its attorneys are Frank J. Runyon III and Raymond Freeman Runyon. The firm’s family law practice covers divorce, child custody and support, property division, military divorce, high-net-worth divorce, business valuation, and adoption, and it also handles criminal defense, estate planning and administration, and personal injury. The firm notes particular experience representing individuals connected to Fort Campbell and the 101st Airborne Division in military-related family law matters, and it highlights work involving complex financial issues, business valuation, and property division.

Frequently Asked Questions About Family Law Attorney in Clarksville

Q: How do I verify that a Clarksville family law attorney is licensed and in good standing?

Tennessee attorneys are licensed by the Tennessee Supreme Court, and the Board of Professional Responsibility maintains an Online Tennessee Attorney Directory at tbpr.org where the public can confirm whether a lawyer is active or suspended and review any public disciplinary history. The Board of Law Examiners handles admission and the bar examination, while the Board of Professional Responsibility handles discipline under Supreme Court Rule 9. Checking the directory before signing an engagement letter is a sensible first step.

Q: What are the grounds for divorce in Tennessee?

Tennessee Code Annotated 36-4-101 sets out the grounds for divorce, which include the no-fault ground of irreconcilable differences as well as thirteen fault-based grounds such as adultery, habitual drunkenness, cruel and inhuman treatment, and abandonment. Couples seeking an uncontested divorce usually proceed on irreconcilable differences, while contested cases may involve one or more fault grounds. A family law attorney can explain which grounds apply to a given situation.

Q: How long does a divorce take to finalize in Clarksville?

State law sets a minimum waiting period before a divorce can be heard. A divorce generally cannot be finalized until the complaint has been on file for at least 60 days when the couple has no minor children, or at least 90 days when there is an unmarried child under 18. These are minimums rather than typical timelines, and contested matters involving custody or property disputes often take longer to resolve in the Montgomery County courts.

Q: How is child support calculated in Tennessee?

Child support is governed by Tennessee Code Annotated 36-5-101 and the Tennessee Child Support Guidelines (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1240-02-04), which use an Income Shares Model. That method combines both parents’ incomes to set a basic support obligation, then allocates each parent’s share in proportion to income while accounting for parenting time and certain expenses. The Tennessee Department of Human Services administers the state’s child support program.

Q: Do Clarksville attorneys handle military divorce for Fort Campbell families?

Clarksville borders Fort Campbell, and several local firms have particular experience with military family law, including divorce, custody, and support questions that involve deployment, relocation, and jurisdiction across state lines. Service members and their spouses face issues that civilian cases do not, such as the application of federal protections and the division of military benefits, so confirming a firm’s experience with military matters is worthwhile for Fort Campbell families.

Q: How do I file a complaint against a family law attorney in Tennessee?

Ethics complaints about a Tennessee attorney are directed to the Board of Professional Responsibility, which investigates and acts on disciplinary matters under Supreme Court Rule 9, rather than to the Division of Consumer Affairs that handles most consumer disputes. Only public discipline is disclosed in the attorney directory; private reprimands and admonitions remain confidential. Keeping copies of the engagement agreement, billing records, and relevant correspondence supports any complaint.